AMY WINEHOUSE died of alcohol poisoning after downing enough spirits to put her five times over the drink-drive limit, an inquest heard yesterday.

The soul diva went on a three-day binge before being found dead in bed with three vodka bottles in the room, it emerged.

A packed St Pancras Coroner’s Court in central London heard how the 27-year-old star had been planning her birthday party and told her GP she “did not want to die”.

But hours later her body was discovered with a fifth more than the fatal dose of alcohol in her blood.

Her parents Mitch and Janis fought back tears as coroner Suzanne Greenaway recorded a verdict of death by misadventure.

The hearing was told the troubled singer gave up taking illegal drugs two years ago, but she could not stop drinking alcohol.

Dr Christina Romete, her GP, said she saw the Grammy award winner on July 22, the night before she was found dead at her flat in Camden, north-west London.

Amy Winehouse's body was discovered with a fifth more than the fatal dose of alcohol in her blood.

She advised Winehouse to seek behavioural therapy for her drink problem, but she refused.

Dr Romete added: “On the night I saw her, before she died, she was tipsy but self aware and was able to carry out a full conversation.

“I was not concerned that she was suicidal. She was looking forward to the future and we were discussing plans for her upcoming birthday party.

“She had previously said she did not want to die and said that night, ‘I have not achieved things I wanted to do’.”

The GP added: “She was one of the most intelligent women I had ever met.”

Under questioning from the Winehouse family lawyer Patrick Gibbs, Dr Romete said the star gave up drugs in 2008, but added: “That was when her problems with alcohol began. For the past month we were discussing how to sustain the positive changes in her life.”

Andrew Morris, the singer’s live-in bodyguard, told how he found her body after she spent an evening at home, laughing and singing.

“I knocked on the door and called out to her, but she was lying on the bed,” he added. “She was sleeping because she was up late that night. It was quite normal for her to sleep late.” He said he next checked on her at about 3pm.

“When I went to the room she was still lying in the same position and I immediately became concerned,” Mr Morris said.

“When I checked, I realised she was not breathing and there was no pulse so I called emergency services.” The star was pronounced dead at 4pm and tests showed traces of Librium, prescribed for her drink problem.

The court also heard she had 416 milligrams of alcohol per decilitre of blood, when the legal drink-drive limit is 80.

Home Office pathologist Suhail Baithun said people start losing their faculties at 200 milligrams, and a 350 milligram reading is fatal.

Detective Inspector Les Newton told the court: “In her room, officers discovered empty vodka bottles, there were two large and one small. There was no evidence that she died in suspicious circumstances and I’m satisfied that is the case.”

Outside court, Mr and Mrs Winehouse said their daughter’s death showed the importance of a charity set up in her memory to help young people fight drink and drug problems.

“It is some relief to finally find out what happened to Amy,” they added.

“The court heard Amy was battling hard to conquer her problems with alcohol and it is a source of great pain to us that she could not win in time.”